Hawks have eye on upset

HOUSTON — Glenn Nelson’s Houston Hawks are not shying away from just how important their quarterfinal match with state power Soldotna is.

“We’re treating it like it’s our state championship game,” Nelson said of the Hawks, who fly south to face defending state champion Soldotna in the medium-schools quarterfinals Saturday at noon in Soldotna. “We’re laying it all out on the line, not saving ourselves for anything.”

While Soldotna is a postseason regular, Houston is making its first playoff appearance since 2008 and fifth in school history.

“They’re so excited,” Nelson said.

Soldotna, winners of five state titles in the last seven years, beat Houston 76-28 during the third week of the season. Despite the lopsided score in the first meeting, Nelson said there is reason to be optimistic.

“We watched the film and saw a lot of mistakes. SoHi is tough, but we feel like we didn’t help ourselves. If we cut down mistakes, we might be in position to make it close and win the game late,” Nelson said.

Houston’s 28 points against Soldotna are the most scored against the Stars in a single game this season.

Nelson also pointed to senior Waylon Soptick’s 137 yards against the Stars during Week 3. Last week, Kenai senior Jace Daniels (one of the top rushers in the medium-schools class) finished with 116 against Soldotna. Nelson said Houston played without its top two fullbacks against the Stars.

“We played with a receiver at fullback and Waylon still picked up (137),” Nelson said. “I feel like we can move the ball more.”

Last week, Soptick led Houston to an 18-6 win over Homer, which clinched the playoff berth for the Hawks. Soptick also rushed for 208 yards and broke the school’s single-season rushing record. He now has 1,351 yards heading into the Soldotna game.

Nelson also noted senior quarterback Nai Saechao, who is back healthy after missing three games due to injury. Saechao has completed 60 percent of his passes this year, and has 397 yards passing and five touchdowns.

“We might pass the ball a little more. (Nai’s) been extremely efficient,” Nelson said. “He’s careful with the ball. Because he’s so efficient, we might open it up a little bit.”

Soldotna beat rival Kenai Central 58-10 last week to win the Northern Lights Conference title.

The Stars are 8-0 and the only undefeated team in any level of football in Alaska.